Life These Days: Philadelphia Chinatown Food Tours

If you are reading this, you are probably very lost.

Fressa Girl was an adorable post college project that took me down a path in the food world that I could not have imagined at the time. It led me to years exploring Philadelphia and writing about it on Midtown Lunch Philly, and more recently, to create a food tour business, taking groups on food tours of Philadelphia's Chinatown, with a bit of food blogging to go alongside it.

Please join me at Philly Food Adventures!

Chic(ken)pea Salad

I bought some dried chickpeas and I had to figure out something to do with them that wasn't hummus.  I am over hummus. To get them ready for whatever evil plan I had for them, I first soaked the dried chickpeas overnight with kombu (a seaweed, it helps break down their enzymes).  Then boiled and drained them. I decided to make  a faux chicken/tuna salad. I mashed them slightly with the handblender with:

•  mayo- not too much, gross
•  fish sauce, chung king vinegar - to get it tasting meat like 
• garlic powder
• curry powder, ground dill, and chili powder - to get the flavors I like in chicken salad
• then add cut up sugar snap pea because I didn't have celery

I put it on toasted bread with some kale. Delicious, healthy, cheap. 

Pre-Made Polenta Can Be Nice

Precooked polenta can be found in the grains section of the grocery store for about $3. Slice, cover in tomato sauce, cheese, fresh basil if you have some, then bake.

It is a good substitute for lasagna. Polenta, even the pre made stuff, is lower in calories though higher in sodium compared to pasta. My blood pressure is low, so it works out for me.


It may not be super gourmet- but this makes a ton of food for cheap and it requires no prep. Don't judge me. 

I Can Craft: Shrink Plastic Chevron Tribal Necklace

I enjoy crafts as much as the next girl, but I am really bad at making straight lines and things like that. It is always a great feeling when I find a craft I can actually handle.

I just found out that you can make glass-like pendant jewelry out of shrinky dinks (I guess my mom deprived us as a child, because I don't remember ever playing with these) AND that shrinky dink material can be free! All you have to do is put on your best smile and ask your local deli for a sandwich box. It has to be the flimsy plastic kind that has the number 6 on it.




The possibilities are endless, people!


The Full Set of Supplies:
Set of 8 Sharpies - $8 from drugstore
Single hole punch- $1.50 from local dollar store
Ugly necklace whose chain I used- $1 from local dollar store
Stencil Set- $1.20 from local dollar store
Plastic Sandwich box- free
Scissors, Oven, Wax Paper- courtesy of my house 

Draw something cool on the flat part and color it, cut it out, punch holes, bake on wax paper in a preheated over for about 30 seconds and immediately flatten it down with a wet towel. I messed a few up by not flattening fast enough so I ended up sticking my hand in the oven to make sure I really flattened it before it hardened, but maybe I shouldn't do that....


The dollar store is key for keeping the cost down.  Once you get the basic supplies you can make so many necklaces; the only materials you will need to keep buying are the chains. Or you can really keep using the same chain, just adjusting the pendants you make on it. That means an endless supply of necklaces to match every outfit for about $10.

Best Carrots Ever

How about some more cheap vegetables that can be turned into something better: carrots. I found this recipe on Pinterest.

Slice, lightly cover in coconut oil and spices,  40 minutes in the oven at 450.

I sliced them with a knife which was a little tedious, but whatever. They key is the coconut oil (which has so many uses for kitchen and body- I am using it for my under eye wrinkles. I just wish I could open my jar without having to bang at it with a can opener every time).

Besides salt and pepper, I added chili powder, ginger,  and garlic powder to balance the sweetness from the coconut oil.

40 minutes is a long time to wait for a veg I typically eat raw, but so worth it.

P.S. Don't try this in the toaster oven. 

Best Fortune Cookie Ever

Choco Rolls

If you have access to Asian supermarkets- you need to see if they carry this (I went to the Viet Market on 12th and Washington Ave here in Philly). I picked up Choco Rolls on a whim, after all their motto is "what a sweet taste."  A box of 14 was about $4. Kudos to my impulse purchase. They are are like the better version of a KitKat- a roll of chocolate covered, nougat filled wafer.  

Quick Pickle Sandwich

I am like real poor these days. It sucks. So, I have to be creative with my eating. Despite my lack of cash, I refuse to have a bad meal, life is too short.


You can pick up a bunch of radishes for a dollar and a cucumber for even less.   


For my cucumbers, I just sliced and covered in salt and a light douse of white vinegar. I didn't completely cover them in vinegar because I have found it can get soggy. They can be eaten immediately or you can wait for more sourness. 


I usually slice my radishes and eat them raw with course salt and vinegar. I really love vinegar. This time I tried something different. I made a brine using this recipe as a starting point. I added some coriander and some kombucha just for fun. These need a day to be ready. 


The cucumbers and radishes work as a snack, but they can become a poor girl's lunch on some bread with cream cheese (low-fat, duh). 

Things These Days (3 1/2 Year Update)

Since my move to Philly for law school and my blog obligations to my baby Midtown Lunch Philly, Fressa Girl dried up and became the neglected old maid who I forget to send greeting cards to on holidays. Some things have changed since I started this blog 3 1/2 years ago. I have a J.D. now... which is super great because it means I have the Bar exam in a few weeks followed by unemployment for an unknown duration. Other things haven't changed, food still makes me the most happy. So, since my readers are long gone, I may start posting the recipes and crafting that I do when I am procrastinating, just to keep track.

I'll start off with a sad story/ recent food creation. Someone stole my basil plant off my front stoop! Who does that? Before he was taken from me I was able to use his lovely leaves in a scape basil pesto. I got the scaped for a dolla at the farmers market. Most pesto recipes call for pine nuts. But pine nuts are expensive! So I substituted sunflower seeds and a handful of my roommates almonds.  I threw in some frozen shrimp and lima beans for added protein. It works. I hope my basil is being properly maintained and watered with care in this heat wave. What a jerk.

Back in Town for a Flushing Adventure: Friendship Plaza and Minzhongle

Hey you fressing faces, time flies when you are locked in the library! Besides full time studenthood, Philly has really been keeping me busy with all the lunch reports and other adventures I require to keep sane.

But every now and then I have to return to my hood for a food adventure with my family. A recent trip to Flushing was so particularly noteworthy, that it was... worth... noting.

So, I chose a new route to get back home- the Chinatownbus from Chinatown Philly to Chinatown Manhattan. Then, a few blocks from that bus station, I hopped on a smaller bus that brought me directly to Flushing! Brilliant. Only $12.75 and 3 hours to get from Philly to Flushing... why aren't more Philadelphians (and Manhattanites) making the trip??






While on my last leg of the trip driving on Main St, I noticed a "plaza" that I had never seen before. The sign let me know that Best Northern Dumpling had moved there, so I wondered what else could be inside. Was this another food court?

In the middle of the plaza (a long hall really) was good Ol' Best Northern, it was comforting to see the same menu, like seeing an old friend. We enjoyed some fluffly veggie buns here, as they were out of most other things.

At the end of the hall was a stall with zero English posted anywhere and zero English spoken. I didn't want to give up, because the little pork wontons being made looked so good, so after several minutes, I got them to serve me something. I just wasn't sure what.... For $3 I got a boiling hot (no, really, I burnt my mouth badly) cup of pork wonton soup. The wontons with their silken wrappers and slightly sweet pork contents were the star, though the delicate broth was impressive too. And they don't cheap out on the wontons, the soup was full of them. There is a bit of a timing issue here though, you want to let the soup cool, but as you wait the wonton skins slowly disintegrate. The proper gobble method must be a skill learned with practice.




This was just a side trip for the main event, so we took our burnt mouths down Main Street to Minzhongle, a relatively new restaurant recommended by the only guy who I trust for Flushing tips, Joe DiStefano.



We were almost foiled by the entrance, a bustling tea counter is on your left as you walk in and a clothing boutique almost disguises the entrance at the very back of the building.



According to Joe, the food is a crazy Korean-Chinese combo because some of the chefs come from a Korean province located in China. Who knew?

Blood vessel in cumin sauce? Extreme spicy beef veins? Ummm, not this time.

But a spicy squid salad appetizer sounded perfect. While this was probably the least unique of the dishes, this was an amazing version of a squid salad. The tender squid was spicy and appropriately balanced with cooling cucumber and cilantro. I would have to order this again.



On Joe's recommendation we had the popcorn in egg sauce. We almost didn't get it at first, but the fried corn kernels and pignolis grew on us- a lot!


The other recommendation we used from Joe was the crispy duck leg. This was a triumph of cooking technique. We all agreed we had never had duck that was this crispy with the usual grease. Equally impressive was how perfectly the meat was cooked under that glorious skin. A dish of salty something is on the side to add more flavor, but use sparingly.


Lastly, we had a sizzling platter of saucy ribs. The traditional Korean influence was most prominent in this dish. The little nibs of ribs were cooked until soft and served in a mildly sweet sauce.


This was one of the best meals I have had in a long time. I'll just have to jump on the series of Chinatown buses to make another pilgrimage soon.


Friendship Plaza:41-42 Main St
Minzhongle: 37-14 Main Street

Fressa does Lunch!

Check out my new website, Midtown Lunch: Philly. I hope to tempt you with non-boring, under $10 lunches around Philadelphia.

Let me know what you think, especially if you like it!

South East Asian Grub on Washington Ave

Down on Washington Ave you can find several plazas and stand alone Vietnamese Pho joints. Pho and Cafe Viet Huong, located in one of several Viet-centric plazas, has a sit down restaurant in the back and a counter for easy access to take out, banh mi, bubble teas, and other prepared snacks.






The summer rolls are huge and fresh, stuffed with shrimp, mint, noodles, thin slices of pork and a thick peanut sauce on the side. And order is $3.50 and comes with 2, prepackaged versions are available up front- but you are probably better off ordering them to ensure maximum freshness. I took home two types of sticky rice, both only 2 dollars. The banana leaf wrapped sticky rice was not my favorite, it had some kind of tamale like thing going on in there. The small pre-wrapped portion of xoi lap xuong on the other hand was pretty great. Its a perfect thing to pick up as part of a lunch.... throw in a summer roll order and your coworkers/classmates/friends/cat will be jealous.

An order of pork over vermicelli proved a bit perplexing, the pork element came in slices that were joined by some over foreign sliced thing (tripe?).





There are several dessert option, I tried che chuoi, a kind of tapioca banana pudding, not bad.






Out the plaza and across the street you can find Cafe de Laos. A sit-down restaurant serving Laotion, Thai, and Laotion-Thai fusion food (that section is lovingly titled "Thai-Laos Relationship Bridge"). Its a really cute byo and alternative date spot. I don't know much about Laotion food, but I do know I like how they handle their sausage. As a guide, the Laos sausage is under the salad section of the Laos menu, naturally... The sausage are housemade and are a must order. I felt like I was eating chorizo injected with Tom Yum soup, which makes sense, its packed with lemongrass and lime and well crisped on the outside.

An order of beef Om Laos curry proved neither impressive nor unique. Hor Mok Pla w catfish (steamed marinated fish in banana leaf) was more entertaining. The pieces of cat fish were joined by lightly pickled bamboo shoot strings that were subtle but tangy. The menu is HUGE and we barely touched the surface.


Pho and Cafe Huong-1110 Washington Ave
Cafe de Laos- 1117 South St

Paul's Tuesday Neighborhood Appreciation Menu, $20

Get on this Tuesday train! Paul is a tiny BYO that would certainly fall into the category of a "cute, neighborhood spot." It offers a menu of creative but not crazy American fare, including a $30, 3 course limited prix fix. But, the real night to go is Tuesday (neighborhood appreciation night) when 3 courses set you back only $20.

You get the choice of pretty much any appetizer (minus cheese plate) and entree on the menu and then a choice of creme brulee or choc pancakes for dessert. All the portions are smaller than are normally served, but were enough to be filling for me, could potentially be less filling for others.

I would recommend my appetizer- a duck prosciutto salad with pear spheres over a gorgonzola patty.





I was also pleased with my entree, short ribs with a polenta queso fresco tamale and braised radicchio. The tamale thing could have been served warmer but the radicchio was not at all bitter, it was extra vinegary (kudos to you if you get the south park reference) and sourkraut- like which I loved.




The skate was your typical lovely brown butter caper skate, can't go wrong there. It was served with a bacon hash that was less typical and just as appetizing.

Desserts are definitely an afterthought, but its still nice to end with something sweet. Again, this place is really really small, so you might want to make a reservation.


1120 Pine Street

Flying Monkey Cupcakes + O Sandwiches

While passing by the Flying Monkey's newest location, I noticed a new sign...
Today was the first day that they started carrying banh mi sandwiches ($5.50) and summer rolls ($6) from O Sandwiches. Though its a bit of mark-up, its pretty exciting news for the gayborhood. Now we can be that much trendier over here.

I wasn't in the sandwich mood so I just went with a champagne cupcake, but I will be back soon enough to try out these highly acclaimed sammiches.

Noodles from the Chinese Noodle Factory

On this little Chinatown street, the Noodle factory makes their own buns and rice noodles for you to bring home and gussy up. They also sell prepackaged noodles with a tangy sauce that makes for a convenient lunch. They give you a ton of noodles graciously topped with a fork. I went for the shrimp version which cost all of $1.60.

Lee How Fook: business in the front, party in the back

Lee How Fook has a reputation for serving legit Chinese food to the Philly community.

A recent bday partayyy allowed us to sample the goods, while taking advantage of their semi-private back room and byo policy. Spinning wine and beer around and around on a lazy susan is really fun.

I don't even know exactly what we eat, things just kept spinning at me. Each dish held its own, but nothing blew my mind
The duck meat with ginger and pineapple came close though.

They have a godzilla sized menu and are accommodating to the vegetarians (like a mapo tofu without any meat) and eaters of all adventurous levels (from general tso's chicken all the way to duck feet abalone hot pot) Our bill for our large party was ridiculously low. According to the website, Lee How Fook means "good food for the mouth" and they have been working at that for over 20 years.

219 North 11th Street

Make your own Porchetta Sandwich with Esposito's and Sarcone's

Esposito's has been selling their porchetta from a tiny store front for years. I had no idea what to expect, and was not even sure I was in the right place; it did not exactly look like a place that was open and ready to sell me some meat. But, through the red door we went and they were so ready. Esposito's sells huge whole porchetta pigs which would be a pretty impressive addition to any party.

We were here to get some serious sandwich material. We picked up a pound of sliced porchetta for $9 and half a pound of sliced provolone, they also sell roast beef for $10 a pound, both come with gravy. The guy working there saw how excited we were at his products and gave us a tour. I probably would have cried if I had forgotten my camera.

The inside of the freezer is filled with vats of chopped garlic, and then there are these beauties- already covered in the garlic and rosemary and ready for their 8 hour spa treatment in the oven.

"hey, sup?"

That was the pig head, staring right at us, from deep inside the super old oven.

Here is our sandwich recipe in photo form (it feeds about 4 people):

pound of sliced porchetta and 1/2 pound provolone

plus a loaf of Sarcone's bread

= one of the best sandwiches you can get in Philly

Esposito's

1627 S. 10th Street